As a country, we value independence as a right and as a desirable trait in people. Yet recently—especially as we navigate through the global COVID pandemic—we’ve seen time and time again how interdependent we all are. Did we ever imagine not being able to buy toilet paper or baby formula? Or how vital our sense of connection with each other is to our mental well-being? Or how our actions could so deeply affect others?
Interdependence recognizes that we are mutually dependent on others in many areas. We need each other and social interaction to thrive. We also need to be able to contribute to others for this system to be viable. This is not to be confused with codependence, which is an unhealthy need for others. One way to look at is that the dependent mindset looks to others to solve their issues, the independent mindset seeks to solve all their issues on their own, whereas the interdependent mindset asks, “How can we solve this issue?”
This really came out strongly during the pandemic. None of us had experienced anything like this before, and it impacted everyone differently. However, it feels like most of us rose to the occasion as best we could and those who were able reached out to help those most negatively affected, especially when it came to food insecurity. We saw food banks serving record numbers, neighborhood free food stands, delivery of food and necessities to the elderly and the impoverished—all kinds of assistance sprung up seemingly overnight to help those who were finding themselves in dire straits. While many of these issues are still affecting our residents, the outpouring of support from family, neighbors, and complete strangers was uplifting and showed what we can do when we work together to find solutions.
The cooperative model is another example of interdependence. CCFC is independent of the large, corporate grocery stores and we are interdependent with other co-ops who are helping us build the strong foundation for a viable business for years to come. Through the interdependence of our owners, we are creating Solano County’s first food co-op. Each time an owner buys a share, you are contributing to the entire community by sharing in this vision. When you volunteer to help promote CCFC—whether you are tabling at the Farmer’s Market, hosting a neighborhood gathering, displaying a lawn sign, or simply telling your family, friends, and neighbors about your co-op—you are helping to spread the word and get us that much closer to the day we open our doors to everyone.
In other words, we need each and every one of you (us!) to build our store so that our store can in turn support and uplift our community. We can all thrive together!